Who they are now
by Jupiter's baby
Summary: Events as they may have unfolded after the survivors found themselves trapped in a cave
1. Chapter 1

Nabila had been manning the radio that morning when the call came in. Aaron's baritone resonated over the air waves, the grief and shock from the unfolding story of torment and the eventual murder of their loved one weighed heavily in the space between them. The message was short and pointed, Alexandria needed reinforcement, a team was heading out to find Alpha's horde.

The bloody faced impostor now in the Alexandrians' custody had faced questioning from the leaders gathered around him in the empty infirmary. Many in the community had entrusted him with providing medical care for family members, some had begun to think of him as 'friend' . As he revealed his treachery and inexplicable loyalty to his leader, the mask he'd worn in the four months since he arrived at the community's gates slipped away revealing the face of a cold and calculating murderer. Almost at the same time, another Whisperer had removed her mask and exposed the raw pain and untold trauma of so many seasons of silence and sacrifice, all for what she had begun to see was a lie.

The thought of her sister propelled her feet towards the bridge that morning; she'd asked the question 'can I see him?' fully expecting the response she received from Aaron. She realized he would have no way of knowing this but if she instead of her sister, had been with the group at Hilltop's gate that day, things might have ended very differently. But she couldn't go back and fix that now, too much time had gone by and with each passing day the stakes were raised dangerously higher. What would she see if she could look into her nephew's eyes…Adam Aaron said they'd named him. What would he see in hers? guilt? shame? hope? The cracks had started to appear even before that moment when the satellite ripped across the sky.

There'd been signs that Frances was slipping away, that she might never come back from the brutality they'd experienced in the many months up until that moment. Her decision to save Alpha was one of necessity. Frances had been singular in her purpose, to kill Alpha for forcing her to give up the only love she'd found in this new cruel and crazy world. Frances was oblivious to the horde that began to close in as she struggled to hold on to Alpha and drag her to the ground. If she'd tried to save them both, the horde would have taken all three of them; and to stand by doing nothing would have been her death sentence with Beta executing revenge for Frances' actions. 'My name was Mary…before…' she'd noticed Aaron's face soften. It was a faint almost imperceptible change, and in that moment knew she could never go back.

At Oceanside, the news hit Michonne hard, and amidst that community's effort to deal with recent breaches to their security system, her message to Cindy and the other leaders was clear. The threat of infiltration, and spies inside their gates had added a whole new dimension of danger to the situation. As Earl had said, they were already at war and just didn't know it...until now.

A group from Hilltop assembled that morning and set out with solemn resolve, Eugene rode out ahead, and Ezekiel would arrive at Alexandria in time to watch from a short distance as Father Gabriel performed the last rites at Siddiq's graveside, reciting poignant words from their departed friend's faith tradition. Connie, Kelly Jerry and Magna set out on foot in the direction Aaron had given. It would be close to sunset when Aaron, Carol and Daryl met them as they emerged from the dense woods and unto the road some distance from the ravine where Mary had informed Aaron they'd find the Whisperer horde.

The groups greeted each other with warm embraces; they felt a kinship much like after the Fair, but this time it was different. They were bound together by grief and fiercely united in the fight for the future. Carol saw it in Jerry's eyes as she asked after his children. Aaron wouldn't know it yet as he embraced Kelly and Magna, but their remorse over stealing and hiding food and medicine in a desperate attempt to protect the survivors in case Hilltop fell, was under-girded by fierce loyalty. It hadn't been an act of selfishness, but of bad judgement; and their readiness to fight alongside family reinforced that loyalty.

Connie and Daryl saw it in each other's eyes as he met her where she stood. Much remained unsaid between them, but when they did communicate they shared a deep sense of being understood, requiring few words. One of these days, soon, they should talk, Daryl thought. He was ready to explore the pull between them even if the thought of that was unfamiliar and exhilarating all at once. For now it felt like they just went from one battle to the next as he'd said to Carol after she got off the boat. Daryl thanked Connie for coming to help, and her response echoed what they all felt... 'Anything for US'.

The purpose of this mission was to find the horde, to gather intelligence, look for weaknesses, loopholes which they could exploit to counter Alpha's maneuvers and destroy the horde in the process...and to find Lydia. They crossed the border at night, resolutely and fearlessly stepping across the row of pikes and disappearing into the misty darkness. Carol hesitated and Daryl hung back, and once again he wondered whether her rage was blinding her to the dangers around them, and hoped it wouldn't end up costing her and anyone else more than they'd already lost.

By the next morning, when they reached the ravine and discovered it was empty, it was clear to them that whether the Whisperer had knowingly misled them or not, the enemy would be close by; so the sight of Alpha sneering as she watched the group from a clearing in the distance, was more than Carol could bear. She gave chase and Daryl barked for the others to follow and stop her but it was too late; they'd been led into a trap. With no sign of Carol ahead, Jerry who was ahead of the group, cautiously entered a dense grove and crossed another one of several ditches that ran along the areas perimeter. The others had seen him plunged through a patch of loose dirt cover with a shout as he disappeared from view. One by one they'd slid in after him, landing safely in the darkened space below. They weren't planning on leaving anyone behind.

Daryl had stopped to deal with streams of walkers attacking them from all sides as they approached the grove. After he'd dispatched the walkers he moved toward the entrance slowly, senses heightened and knives up. There was no sign of the group or Carol's target; unaware that the loose dirt in the ditch in front of him sloped and filled in after any disturbance; Daryl's stepped in and fell through, landing in a shower of damp earth and finding himself with the others on a stone platform deep in a cave.

They were surrounded by a horde of zombies. Grasping hands and frenzied growls made a deafening noise, the sea of walkers stretched beyond their view completely filling out the dim expanse in front of them. Kelly caught Carol's eye and pointed up. They were in survival mode there was no need for words, they quickly realized what she meant. One by one they began to carefully scramble up and unto a rocky ledge, barely evading the bony fingers and gnashing teeth below.

Once they were clear of the lower level and were away from the horde for the moment, their cautious exploration revealed a network of tunnels, darkened spaces, some too narrow for any person to crawl through. Magna tested each one for airflow using a lit match and there was relief when they eventually saw the flame flicker and dim. Just then something moved in the dark, knocking the match out of Magna's fingers. There was a tussle and grunts, Aaron subdued the struggling captive and someone shone a flashlight in their face. Lydia.

'You trying to get yourself killed?' relief tempered some of the frustration in Daryl's voice'. 'What do any of you care?' the teen's voice cracked as she twisted away when Aaron let her go. She was disheveled, streaks of grime marked her clothes from the two nights she'd spent in the woods and the cave. She continued to speak, repeating what she'd said to Carol on the bridge, that they'd only used her just as her mother had done. This time Aaron didn't stay silent. He approached Lydia slowly with his hands up, he spoke gently, admitting his past struggle to accept her and his failure to protect her when he should have.

Daryl looked at Carol expectantly, waiting for her to say something while the others gathered round consoling the girl, letting her know things would be different. After Lydia had calmed down she told them she knew a way out. Following her lead, they reached a narrow tunnel, she climbed in first followed by Aaron. The tunnel wound for several meters and at some points there was barely room to breathe as they crawled through. Aaron exited the tunnel into an area surrounded by dense brush, he and Lydia coughing and struggling to breathe through the cloud of thick smoke engulfing the entrance. He called out urgently to the others still making there way through... 'Come on!'

They knew without a doubt that the fires had been set by Alpha, to block each exit and prevent their escape. They were lucky and make it through by the skin of their teeth with only cuts and scrapes from pushing through the surrounding brush. The ordeal wasn't quite over. The group hurried toward the direction they'd come and came almost face to face with a wall of Whisperers at the boarder, their knives drawn. Just then, three recognizable figures approached from behind, bearing down fiercely on the enemy. Scot and Dianne carried spears and Gabriel, his face set in seething rage, fired a warning from a shot gun, scattering the enemy immediately. In addition to alerting the Alexandrians that their friends were in danger, Mary had shown them the hidden cache of a few remaining guns in the Whisperer's arsenal. Gabriel had immediately given the order to seize the weapons, then took two of the best fighters with him to search for their group.

They were still counting on Michonne to return with the weapons they could use to end this threat for good. Alpha thought she'd bested them but the survivors had found their target. A horde that size would take a long time to move. They had a window for now, but every second would count.

Judith, Dianne and Scot were in contact with Michonne the day after she'd set sail with the stranger. She relayed to them how they'd found Virgil's boat out on the water, it was a river boat which he explained, had come untethered and set adrift during a violent storm. Michonne and Virgil guided the sailboat alongside and boarded the bigger vessel, Virgil immediately taking the controls. As he steered them toward the naval base on Bloodsworth island, sailboat in tow, Michonne had made the call to Judith.


	2. Chapter 2

According to the choppy radio message to Judith, once Michonne discovered that the military installation and its weapons were located on the southern point of the island, the opposite side from where she and Virgil had landed. Michonne's return with or without weapons would take longer than two days, and they would likely lose communication.

Virgil had been a zoologist at the Blackwater wildlife refuge in the time before. In the years and months since, he and his family had survived in relative isolation, living in the areas of the sanctuary where there'd been fewer people before, which meant fewer roamers. Virgil's wife Marissa had been a logistics specialist with the military and based on what she recalled, Bloodsworth island had been off limits to the public for over a decade so when their daughter was old enough they'd decided to look for the island and the chance to communicate perhaps with the government or with the outside world. They'd found a boat and made it their home for much of the time as they navigated to the island, arriving at the northern point after many weeks on the water.

Virgil's wife and daughter had indeed been anxiously awaiting his return and once he assured them the stranger with the katana across her back meant them no harm, they'd been introduced. Michonne didn't hide her irritation at Virgil's deception 'Ýou led me to believe you had the weapons in your control ' she hissed, her hand hovering dangerously over the sword's hilt. 'Virgil glanced over at his daughter protectively, and slowly raised his hands speaking cautiously 'I'm sorry, really I am. I meant no harm. Trust me...' 'Trust you.?' Michonne scoffed and shook her head 'I'm listening'.

Virgil described how he'd been attempting to sail up to the military outpost against treacherous currents, when he'd lost control of his boat and drifted up the Potomac river, landing near Oceanside. 'How far would you say it is traveling inland?' she interrupted him. 'Half a day at most... but the land around the base is riddled with unexploded bombs...it's much too dangerous'. 'We'll have to take our chances' Michonne had a thought on how to deal with explosives, walkers and any hostile humans they might encounter inside the perimeter of the base. It just might work. She'd made the trip so far and wasn't planning on leaving without the weapons that could defeat Alpha's army, and time was running out.

Back at Alexandria, Ezekiel's initial awkwardness with Carol had melted into concern when he learned about the situation at the cave. He'd remained there holding the fort while Gabriel and others went out. When the shout from the watch tower announced their return, Ezekiel rushed out to meet the group on the road, the look on Carol's face told him he'd made the right decision in staying. In the next few days they spent together they finally talked, they talked a lot. He told her about his cancer. She talked about her pain. They'd cried and laughed together. Carol hadn't said been able to say goodbye to Sophia, or to Henry, that chance had been cruelly snatched away from her. She'd begun to realize that with Ezekiel she had a choice and so she decided to take it, and savor it. Neither of them said so, but both knew this was a final goodbye. Carol felt grateful and strangely calm. For those few nights they spent together, as they lay side by side talking and holding hands, she slept better than she had for a very long time.

Alden was returning with a hunting party when he saw Yumiko and Jerry at the forge talking with Earl. Aaron was with them. They learned from the whisperer spy, Mary, of a planned attack on the community. 'Look I understand why you wouldn't trust her' Aaron said, Yumiko looked skeptical as he spoke, 'After the cave, we know Alpha's using her to feed us false information, but we can use that to our advantage'. 'So we prepare for an attack at Alexandria...?' Alden asked, looking to Yumiko for confirmation. She was studying Aaron's face as she replied 'We prepare for an attack here'. Aaron nodded 'We won't take any chances, it could be anywhere but so far Oceanside's our only safe zone'

At the same time Aaron set out for the Hilltop, Eugene headed to Oceanside. His mission was to assist in covertly re'vetting' all new arrivals to that community since the Kingdom Fair. One of the 'tests' was to gauge the response to referring to walkers as Guardians, another was to gauge the response to the mantra 'We walk in darkness ...' which Aaron had heard the whisperer spy chant when they'd first met. Human reflex would likely betray even the most disciplined interloper; so Eugene and Cindy watched closely for tell-tale signs that a whisperer was among them. None of the newcomers failed the tests. Oceanside at least for now remained safe.

The counter plan was to evacuate the children and a team of fighters from Hilltop and Alexandria to Oceanside, while fortifying the Hilltop for battle. They started the evacuations immediately, leaving in small groups and travelling along different routes. Only Carol, Gabriel, Rosita, Ezekiel and a handful of others would stay at Alexandria. At the Hilltop, Connie and three other fighters had packed up as much food and supplies as they could carry in carts and on their animals, and had led four Hilltop groups including Jerry's family and baby Adam to safety. Laura, Lydia and other fighters had led similar groups from Alexandria.

When Judith received the news of Michonne's delay, she felt some disappointment but pulled through with characteristic resilience. She'd also done a wonderful job of explaining to RJ why their mom would be gone a little longer than planned and why they were leaving their home. As she and Daryl exchanged solemn goodbyes, his eyes prickled with emotion when he saw what she was holding up. His old vest, with a delicate blue wing painted on the right side, replacing the one he lost so long ago and completing the pair. 'Don't worry about us uncle Daryl' her face was serious as he'd taken her small hands in his and crouched down to her level. 'You'll keep us safe!, you're our guardian angel' she said with a bright smile. Daryl doffed her hat 'Come 'ere' he grunted, circling her in a hug. He spotted a small dark head from the corner of his eye and stretched his free arm out smiling 'hey, you too..' In a flash, RJ's small body barreled into the two of them. Daryl wrapped his arms tightly about them both chuckling a little. 'We'll be alright' he assured them.


	3. Chapter 3

It was still dark out but daybreak wasn't far off as Daryl sat on the porch of the mansion, his back to the wall, bent knees supported his folded arms in front of him. He'd gathered up what he could from the lower levels of the big house, which had been relatively undamaged. He looked on as the watchmen changed guard around the perimeter of the compound. The barricade had survived the onslaught, and the last of the smoldering fires had finally been put out. The remaining group at the Hilltop would split off after sunrise, half to Alexandria, the others to Oceanside. For now they took turns to rest and keep watch. Daryl lay his head on folded arms and closed his eyes. They no longer stung from the smoke only from tiredness.

The attack had started at Hilltop as they'd anticipated and the battle had been a fierce one. Alpha had sent a barrage of walkers to the gate but the barricade constructed around the perimeter held strong. The fighters led by Aaron had held their formation while an offensive line led by Daryl with Alden and Earl had attacked at the perimeter, taking down row upon row of walkers, smashing in their skulls as they pushed against the barricade. What they hadn't counted on was the Whisperer attack from the rear. Fiery arrows rain down into the compound, torching the tents and cabins. They'd immediately launched a counter offensive, Aaron leading the charge around the back, their heavy shields protecting them from the oncoming fire. The fire increased the walkers' frenzy but the barricades had held as the fighters clashed with Whisperers outside, killing many and scattering them eventually before returning inside to fight the blazing fires within their walls.

Judith's words rang in Daryl's ears as he fought back a feeling of defeat. By the end of the night, the Hilltop had lost almost all of the camp and most of their crops. Fire had raged through the mansion leaving the top floor a burned out shell. They'd lost six of their number. Even twelve years into the apocalypse, the thought of that loss left a numbness in Daryl's belly. Like the other leaders, he felt the weight of responsibility for the lives of these people, his people, every day. With Rick gone, he hoped Michonne was alright, Ezekiel was battling a devastating illness, they'd not received any word from Maggie and after all these years it seemed unlikely she'd return. He hoped Carol, Gabriel and Rosita were alright. There'd been no sign of Alpha's lieutenant last night and that worried him. Last night they'd lost six of their own and the Hilltop had fallen. He felt a lot of things in that moment, a guardian angel wasn't one of them.

Connie had returned with Rachel and others from Oceanside as the battle raged at Hilltop the night before. They'd approached from behind the line of whisperers helping to scatter them, then circling back inside the compound to fight the fire. In the aftermath of the battle, Connie surveyed her surrounding and recalled the day she, Kelly, Magna and the others had entered over a year ago. The damage tonight had been great and the loss was devastating. The stables, main storeroom, the cabins, all burned nearly to the ground. She thought with sadness that they would have to leave this place they'd all come to know as home. At least for now. she had no doubt that they would rebuild... together. These were her people, they'd become her family. That thought gave her a spark of hope. As long as they had each other, they would make it.

Spotting a familiar frame in the dim light of the embers that remained, she watched as Daryl brought out some items he'd salvaged from the downstairs rooms of the mansion. Items of meaning to their community; books, portraits, tools, things they could use, or store and come back for after the war was over. Connie noted the stiffness in his usual proud gait and guessed he might be injured from the battle. She felt a tug in her belly at the thought of his pain. Her feelings toward Daryl were like a hot chocolate on a cold day; she longed to feel the delicious satisfaction of exploring them, but she guessed that in a way, they'd each been damaged even before the world they'd known had ended, so it made sense to tread cautiously. Daryl was still something of an enigma to Connie, as she guessed she might be to him. His efforts to learn sign language had meant alot to her and she recognized that beyond mere curiosity about each other there were chords of something deep and grounding. She was content just to sit with those feelings for now.

The cellars had been spared from the flames so there was food and medicine for the survivors. The old makeshift prison offered some shelter where Connie and others tended to the injured as best they could. After checking in to make sure Kelly was alright Connie left her sister and the other fighters resting. Outside, she scrounged around the rubble and mess that had once been a cabin and finally found a blanket and eventually a shirt, both of which she shook out and sniffed. They smelled smoky but would do. With those items, a canteen of water, a small jar of ointment and bandage in hand she approached the porch and the figure hunched over with his back to the wall.

Even with his eyes closed Daryl recognized the footfall that crossed the yard toward him and he raised his head as Connie's hand brushed him gently on the arm. 'Hey' Daryl said gruffly, Connie's head tilt and raised eyebrows gave him a hey back. She was a sight for sore eyes. She half smiled and gestured to the building he was leaning up against, signing 'this doesn't look safe'. She was right of course. The fires were out but the wooden beams in the rafters of the big house had been badly damaged and could give at any time.

Daryl stretched to ease the stiffness in his neck and hopped off his perch, following behind Connie. She turned and smiled at him and the stiffness he'd felt a few moments before lifted. In all the ugliness around them, with all the death and destruction, even though he knew first hand just how fierce she was, in that moment he wanted to nothing more than be her rock, take her in his arms and protect her from harm. Daryl shook his head in self derision. He must be going soft, he thought.

They sat on a metal bench against the low mud wall of the forge then very carefully, Connie took his left hand then his right, carefully cleaning his injuries and applying the salve. Daryl studied Connie's face in the dim light as she worked. The gentleness and care with which she tended to his cuts were almost too much for Daryl to bear but he didn't pull away. When Connie was finished with his hands, she placed the palm of her hand over the right side of Daryl's chest, below the spot where a whisperer's flaming arrow had struck him, it must hurt like hell. She signed 'we should take a look at it'. Daryl nodded in ascent shaking off his vest, then unbuttoning his shirt and carefully peeling it back.

He clenched his jaw against the pain as the fabric clung to the caked blood around the gash, and Connie winced at the carnage, gently grasping his shoulder and helping to free him from the torn garment. She quickly got to work, kneeling between his legs to face him and better access the wound. Connie worked as efficiently and as gently as possible as she cleaned the area, applied ointment and bandaged it up. She kept her fingers light on his skin and didn't linger or stare at the criss-cross patterns and scarred flesh that mapped the story of Daryl Dixon. He adjusted his position causing a thick lock of hair to flop forward shading his face. Connie resisted the urge to brush it back. She could feel Daryl's eyes studying her face as she worked.

A 'good one' Carol had called her. Daryl didn't know exactly what that was supposed to mean. He did know that before that day when he 'met' her out in the sorghum field as she cradled the whisperer baby and fought off walkers, later when she thanked him for rescuing them, and later still when she insisted on going with him to bring back Henry and Lydia, before all that, he had only been surviving the end of the world. Trying to keep the people he cared about safe. Connie's presence, her spirit, the fire in her eyes, did something to him, made him start to think of a future, and of possibilities he'd never dared to imagine before now. When she was finished, she stood up and examined her work. Satisfied she gave him a big smile suppressing yet another urge to kiss his forehead. Instead she offered him the garment she'd rescued.

When Daryl didn't speak or move to take the shirt Connie wondered if maybe the gesture had been too frivolous. She felt relief and a little light headed when Daryl stood up. At full height the top of Connie's head came up just to his broad shoulders. Daryl took the shirt gently from her hand, then moved to slide his arms around her waist. Connie ran her fingers up along his biceps before interlocking them behind his neck as he drew her close, their bodies pressed together. As naturally as if they'd done this a thousand times before, she raised her lips to meet his in a slow sweet kiss. Daryl could feel the heat where they touched, the blood pounding in his ears and rushing through him, rousing parts that had long been dormant. They ended the kiss, parting as smoothly as they had come together. Daryl touched his hand to his bandaged shoulder. With his free hand he signed 'thank you'. In response, Connie reached up to brush back the errant lock of dark brown hair from Daryl's brow and tucked it behind his ear. He cocked his head and smiled that roguish half smile she'd come to adore, it made her blush and drop her eyes shyly. 'We should get some rest?' Daryl half asked half stated.

They folded the blanket into a makeshift sleeping bag, laying it down on the earthen floor of the forge. Grunting a little as he shed his boots Daryl lay down and reached out for Connie as she kicked off her boots and tucked in infront of him, back against his chest, her curly dark locks coming up snugly just underneath his chin. Daryl brushed his fingers over the back of her hand where it rested on her hip , savoring the suppleness of her skin beneath his finger tips. Her skin looked the way it felt, smooth, and the color of dark honey. Daryl had to stop his thoughts from wandering further, from imagining the taste of her. As if on cue, Connie adjusted her position to get comfortable wiggling her bottom against him, which caused Daryl to grasp her hip in a playful warning. Daryl felt Connie shake with a little laugh and he tapped her bottom lightly to chastise.

For this brief moment, as their heartbeats rose and fell into rhythmic synchrony, they slept in peace. Dawn was breaking across the distant corners of the sky; deep pink and orange hues piercing through the smoggy air. The old world had died and given way to this new uncertain one, but some forces like a sunrise, like family and like love, remained constant.


End file.
